Children's Home run by Williamson Care Limited in Wirral

Inspection report for children’s home: 2775284 1 Registered provider: Williamson Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and registered to provide care for up to three children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager were registered with Ofsted in June 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

One child was living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children are not safeguarded and their welfare is not promoted.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 11 February 2025

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Serious shortfalls were found in the safeguarding practice and the leadership and management arrangements of the home at the full inspection on 11 February 2025.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Compliance notices were issued under regulation 12, the protection of children standard, and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard. A monitoring visit was completed on 8 April 2025 to monitor the action taken by the provider to meet the steps Inspection report for children’s home: 2775284 2 identified in the two compliance notices. The provider had not taken sufficient action to meet the compliance notices. Inspection report for children’s home: 2775284 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/02/2025 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2775284 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Since the last full inspection, one child has moved out of the home and another child has remained living in the home. Staff do not provide children with the stability they need, preventing them from developing a sense of permanence. Positive relationships between staff and children have not been consistently established, and necessary actions to safeguard children and promote their welfare are not always taken.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are not supported with consistent, age-appropriate routines or clear daily structures. This lack of guidance negatively affects their overall development and well- being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Access to full-time education or training is not available for all children, which restricts their academic growth. In one case, a child who had been attending school ceased to do so following an incident. There was a significant delay from leaders and managers in working with education professionals to resolve the issue, resulting in a deterioration of the child’s routine, sleep pattern and mental health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Follow-up work with children after incidents is not consistently carried out. For instance, staff failed to implement a child’s safety plan by not delivering the additional support sessions on emotional well-being following a hospital admission. This undermines children’s emotional support and denies them a safe space to express their concerns.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home has access to a therapist who provides direct support to children and guidance to staff. This resource ensures that children can receive therapeutic support in a timely manner. The therapist has also trained staff in therapeutic techniques, such as the use of language, curiosity and empathy. However, these approaches are not embedded in staff’s everyday practice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are supported to maintain contact with friends and family in line with their individual plans. Staff also work to establish positive relationships with children’s family members.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not adequately respond to, or implement, appropriate and safe strategies to protect the children living in the home. This does not help staff to manage children’s behaviour and reduce the risks associated with these behaviours.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Staff do not understand their roles and responsibilities in protecting children, and risks for children have escalated since living in the home. Staff lack professional curiosity and do not take action to safeguard children at times of distress. For one child, there has been an escalation in incidents of self-harm, which have required the child to be admitted to hospital. Inspection report for children’s home: 2775284 5 Risks to children are not identified, understood or managed by leaders and staff. Staff lack the skills, knowledge and experience to meet the children’s needs. This led to an escalation of incidents for one child prior to them moving on from the home. Staff relied heavily on police intervention to manage the child’s behaviour. On one occasion, the child was arrested and taken into custody. A punitive approach was taken by staff on the child’s return to the home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

There have been multiple incidents of children going missing from the home. Staff do not consistently take preventative action to reduce the likelihood of these episodes. In one instance, despite a child informing staff of their intention to leave, no effective steps were taken to deter or support the child. The child subsequently went missing. The risks involved could have been reduced through a more proactive and responsive approach.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Staff do not follow plans to safeguard children from the risks of the internet. As a result, children can access online chat rooms, which has led to an escalation in incidents of self- harming behaviour.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Incident recording in the home is inadequate. Consequences given to children for their behaviour are not routinely documented, making it difficult to evaluate the effectiveness or appropriateness of such responses. Furthermore, leaders and managers do not ensure that records clearly indicate which staff are on duty, nor do they consistently log the working hours of the interim manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The leadership and management arrangements in the home are inadequate. The registered manager is currently absent from work and is leaving the company. The responsible individual has also left their post. This means that there is no registered person currently overseeing the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managerial oversight of incidents lacks consistent evaluation of staff practice, and shortcomings are often missed or left unaddressed. Opportunities to identify additional support for children are frequently overlooked, leading to repeated mistakes. This hinders the delivery of safe and effective care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The arrangements for out-of-hours support are not safe or effective. During an incident when staff required the support from on-call manager, they were unable to provide support due to not having the relevant checks in place. This meant that staffing levels were not in line with children’s plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not consistently reported all serious incidents to the regulator, which prevents oversight of the safeguarding practice in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have recently completed some additional training to build their skills and knowledge. They have completed courses in relation to proactive approaches to care, county lines and how to support children who are at risk of going missing. Inspection report for children’s home: 2775284 6 All of the requirements made at the last full inspection have been restated as they have not been met. Additional requirements have been made due to the additional shortfalls identified. Inspection report for children’s home: 2775284 7

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

*The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that staff understand their roles and responsibilities in protecting children and take effective action to reduce the risk of harm to children.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 13 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

*The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— 13 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2775284 8 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation (13) (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that there is a suitably qualified and experienced manager and responsible individual in post to manage and oversee the home at all times.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that there is a stable staff team in place and that all staff working in the home have the knowledge, skills and experience to provide care for children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that children’s records are reviewed and maintained to include all accurate and relevant information and that shortfalls in staff practice are identified and addressed as part of management evaluation.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— 13 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2775284 9 mutual respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same; and

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(x)(xi)) Inspection report for children’s home: 2775284 10 Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that staff support children with warmth and empathy and receive clear guidance to follow in practice.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that they are able to meet the needs of children moving into the home, that they are aware of children’s risks when moving in and that plans are in place to manage any conflicting needs for children living together.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 13 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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protect and promote each child’s welfare; 13 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2775284 11 treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background; and

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that staff support children’s individual care needs.

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The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that children’s records are maintained, updated, and include accurate information.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 13 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; 13 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2775284 12 help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement; and

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(v)(vi)(x))

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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a description of the measure and its duration;

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details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and 13 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2775284 13 has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3) (1)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that consequences are clearly recorded and include a review of the effectiveness of the measure.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 13 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)) 13 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2775284 14 Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that rotas contain the actual hours that staff worked in the home, including those of the interim manager.

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2775284 15

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Williamson Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Mayes Business Partnership, 22-28 Willow Street, Accrington BB5 1LP

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Inspectors

Suzanne Birchall, Social Care Inspector Samantha Kean, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2775284 16 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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